This invention relates generally to card games and more particularly to a modified version of blackjack that involves some or all of the players placing an additional wager at the beginning of a hand.
Blackjack (also known as twenty-one) is a common playing card game in which one or more players play against a dealer. The players play individually against the dealer, not against one another. Each player's objective is to hold a hand of two or more cards having a count closer to 21 (without going over) than the count of the dealer's hand. In determining the count of a hand, cards numbered 2-9 are assigned a rank equal to their respective face value, 10's, jacks, queens, and kings are assigned a rank of 10, and aces are assigned a rank of 1 or 11, at the player's option.
Blackjack is often played in casinos where each player places a wager on the outcome of a hand against the house. Wagers are placed at the beginning of the hand, before any cards are dealt. Play then begins with the dealer dealing two cards to each player and himself. Each player then is given the opportunity to “hit” (take an additional card) in an attempt to achieve a count closer to 21. The player can elect to “stand” (decline to take more cards) at anytime if satisfied with his or her count or concerned that another card will result in a “bust” (i.e., a count exceeding 21). Players can also exercise certain options such as “doubling down,” “splitting pairs,” and “surrender” in given situations. After all of the players have elected to stand on their hand, the dealer plays out his or her hand based on pre-established rules for the game. Typically, if the dealer has less than 17, the dealer must take a hit. If the dealer has 17 or more, the dealer stands.
A player wins the wager against the house if his or her count is closer to 21 than the dealer's count; the player loses the wager if the dealer's count is closer to 21 than that player's count. Any player that busts loses regardless of the final count of the dealer's hand. If a player's and the dealer's counts are the same (without exceeding 21), no one wins and the hand is called a “push.” Any player receiving a “blackjack” (i.e., a two-card hand having a count of 21, also referred to as a natural) wins at once, unless the dealer is also dealt a blackjack. Blackjacks are typically paid off at one and a half times the wager.
While conventional blackjack is considered by many to be an exciting game, all players play against the dealer only and not among themselves. Furthermore, there is only one wagering opportunity during the course of each deal. Thus, if a player busts early in a hand and thus loses automatically, he or she has no further interest in that deal and must wait idly while the other players and the dealer play out their hands. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a modified version of blackjack in which players could play among themselves as well as against the dealer and place additional wagers that could maintain interest in a deal after a player's hand has played out.